WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13, 2017 -- Newborn babies face a greater risk of health problems if they live close to a "fracking" site, a new large-scale study contends.

Women were 25 percent more likely to deliver low birth weight babies after hydraulic fracturing operations commenced within a half-mile of their homes, said the study's lead researcher, Janet Currie. She directs Princeton University's Center for Health and Well-Being.

It's long been known that diabetes in pregnancy raises the odds for congenital heart defects. But new research shows that the threat may also extend to women who simply have high blood sugar levels -- not just full-blown diabetes.

FRIDAY, Dec. 15, 2017 -- It's long been known that diabetes in pregnancy raises the odds for congenital heart defects. But new research shows that the threat may also extend to women who simply have high blood sugar levels -- not just full-blown diabetes.

"This finding may have a profound effect on how pregnant women are screened and treated -- not only for diabetes, but also for elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy," said Dr. Barry Goldberg, a child heart specialist who reviewed the new study. He's chief of pediatric cardiology at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.

FRIDAY, Dec. 8, 2017 -- Kids are more likely to develop asthma if their moms chug sugary drinks during pregnancy, a new study suggests.

Expectant mothers who drank an average of two sugar-sweetened beverages a day were over 60 percent more likely to have kids diagnosed with asthma when they were 7 to 9 years old than were women who drank no sugary beverages while pregnant, Harvard researchers found.